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Order! Order! May 19, 2010

I’m sad to say that yesterday’s crossword was a flop. Yes, it was sad. Yes, there were tears.

One interesting tidbit did come from yesterday’s failed attempt at puzzlry: Robert’s Rules of Order.

Robert’s Rules of Order is the short title of a book containing rules for conduct at meetings that allows everyone to be heard and to make decisions without confusion (also known as parliamentary procedure). Most organizations, governments, etc. use a procedure resembling Robert’s Rules.

The first edition of the book, whose full title was Pocket Manual of Rules of Order for Deliberative Assemblies, was published in February 1876 by then U.S. Army Brigadier General Henry Martyn Robert (1837–1923) with the short title Robert’s Rules of Order placed on its cover. The procedures were modeled after the US House of Representatives.

Mr. Robert was a big, underconfident nerd. His interest in parliamentary procedure started when he was asked to preside over a church meeting, but didn’t feel like he had what it would take to run a successful meeting. He thought to himself, “there should be a manual for this!”

And so, Mr. Robert published 4 editions of this book before he died in 1923. It has become the most commonly adopted parliamentary authority among societies in the United States. The most current edition, published in 2000, contains provisions dealing with videoconferences, teleconferences, and email.

Typical Example of Robert’s Rules

Call to order.

Roll call of members present.

Reading of minutes of last meeting.

Officers reports.

Committee reports.

Special orders — Important business previously designated for consideration at this meeting.